Equinox 800 or Excalibur?

[rykroll]

I am in the market for another beach and water detector do you guys or gals think the equinox can produce like the Excalibur?

 

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[RustyGold]

Very nice ring rykroll. Congrats!

 

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[OBN]

Another Happy Nox owner, Best bang for the bucks.

Now I have to get my azz in gear...

 

[cntrydncr1]

I think the Nox will be my go to machine for wet and dry sand. I'm still using the excal in the water as I think it will hold up better.

 

[dewcon4414]

Deb I’m using the Nox in the water because of the repairs needed on the Xcal. I believe the Nox May be a bit better on small gold too even in the water. Depth about even. BUT ....running PP the Xcal has the silence factor and some will do better with it especially in PP mode.

 

[slider66]

Hunting directly behind my buddy (same line in the wet sand) who is very experienced with the Excal, I'd say the equinox. I came home with way more stuff even running behind him.

Also, it's nice to be able to skip over pennies and dimes when you are in a hurry racing the incoming tide because it's easy to identify them.

After the firmware update which fixed the coins on edge problem, I sold off all my other machines.

It is not as nice on the ears though.

I have found rings at TDI 20 .I know it's pennies but there are rings too.

 

[ColonelDan]

Obviously everyone has their personal preference, but for me, I haven't used my Excal since I got the EQX 800. The EQX has a much faster processor, more sensitive to small targets than the Excal, lighter and it's easier to swing for long periods so it fits my needs on the beach better than any other machine I've ever owned or tested.

Since I no longer go into deep surf, the Excal has been hanging in my hobby room for over a year. Were I into diving however, I'd take the Excal.

Just the view from my foxhole...

 

[Earlafindit]

I like my Excalibur blue's with pp, and skullie's ,this set up has shed new light , deeper whisper's, and sparked an interest with the Excal's, on hearing deeper gold which i could never hear before, yesterday i was using the Nox with the 15 inch coil , and the wireless , at time's it drove me nut's with the chatter, even making adjustment's, it was the EMi from certain condo's , i might try Tony's phone's on it next hunt ,even though i am not going past ankle deep, just to see if it's the Blue Tooth interference i am getting , along with the emi from the condo's , i like both machine's, i like the lightness of the Equinox, however i probably will never submerge the head, i have a cover over it, does a nice job keeping the salt off the screen , i also had a few times the coil flipped up under the water , just ankle deep, the 15 is not recommended over the 11 in water, in my opinion, i will also say i was not using a ML lower rod, it was the Carbon Fiber Lower , with Plugger upper, both machine's have there use, happy hunting, Earl

 

[dewcon4414]

Sure way to see if its EMI....... put Tonys on and put the box underwater. You can also hold the coil in the air..... chatter still there? Thats EMI. But ...... more than likely what you are hearing is surface minerals that the salt water really lights up. The salt balance appears to be off just a bit on the Nox so minerals react much like HOT ROCKS do when you run to much sensitivity. Try going out neck deep...... you really pick up the chatter then..... because there is a greater concentration of minerals and black sand.

 

[LawrencetheMDer]

You have to ask about longevity when talking about the Nox 800 and when comparing the Excal to Nox 800. Many have had their Excals for 20+ yrs. I have had mine for about 7 yrs and other than just recently replacing the coil cable it has been great with many wonderful water finds. The Nox 800, and I just bought one, has a scheduled life of a few years based on battery life as noted in the Instruction manual (page 8). And, the battery has to be replaced by an authorized dealer. On one blog, the author tried to open the Nox 800 case and destroyed it. Just saying...did I mention that you should also charge it every 3-4 months to preserve the battery to last a few years (page 8 of Instruction manual)?

PS Just read Andy Sabisch's brand new book on the Nox 600/800 and it provides some wonderful insights and suggestions and is considered a must read if you get the Nox 800. [The Nox 600/800 book is not as good as his book on the CTX 3030, primarily because the Nox had not been around that long before the book was written, I think.]

 

[dewcon4414]

Lawrence...... the Nox has a 3 year warranty.... the Xcal, one then you are paying the bills..... how many repairs have you done? Even the battery on an older Xcal needs replaced. Now..... after 3 years i could buy another Nox....good for 3 more years.... and im barely at the cost of an Xcal. You can change the coil (3 options) and headphones on the Nox YOURSELF. Ill bet you the cost of a NEW head wont be much more than a coil change on the Xcal. You want an eye opener....... take a WHITE gold band about 3 grams and bury it in the WET salt sand on edge. You can use PP or disc...... now tell me which machine you want to use. Im willing to bet you the Nox gets at least 2" on the Xcal even in PP mode on that ring. The TID screen is a plus. Never got to test the Xcal (yet) in the salt water...... but the Nox will get about 10" maybe on a 3 gram YELLOW gold ring depending on your skill to hear it.

Andy writes a good book..... but the simplicity of the Nox compared to the CTX is day and night. The Nox manual ... you have to admit is one of the best ML has written as well.